Woodminster Cascades

Oakland is blessed with excellent stonework dating from the Depression-era Works Progress Administration or WPA. When the WPA got together with Park Superintendent William Mott to build Woodminster, in 1940, an experienced cadre of artisans built its elegant features with a sure hand.

I should know more about the stone, but I don’t. It’s very similar to the stone used at Lake Temescal and the East Bay Botanic Garden in Tilden Park. It likely came from the Leona Quarry.

While you’re there, be sure to admire the amphitheater’s Deco concrete. And keep your eye open for WPA concrete in Oakland’s sidewalks and gutters. I’ve seen WPA marks from 1939, 1940 and 1941. This investment in public works has endured for more than 70 years.

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